10:59am: You may have missed it yesterday, but USA Today's Bob Nightengale listed Diamondbacks right fielder Justin Upton as one of the big names GMs say are already "under discussion." GM Kevin Towers elaborated:

"I'm open to listening on anybody. We got more hits on Upton and [Stephen] Drew. They're difficult to move, but sometimes to make your club better, you have to move good players. You never know when a deal might present itself."

This could be little more than a GM taking the common stance that no player is untouchable. Today Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweeted that while the D'Backs are listening on Upton, the return would have to be "big." He notes that they're much less inclined to move Drew – they'd have to be "blown away," given the lack of alternatives at shortstop.

Upton, still only 23, regressed a bit in the first year of his six-year, $51.25MM contract. He hit .273/.356/.442 in 571 plate appearances, though a shoulder strain may have been partially responsible. Though he slipped in all three categories, his walk rate was actually higher than it was in '09. Since Upton would not have been arbitration eligible until now, almost all of his contract will be paid out over 2011-15.

Trading Upton would be very difficult from a public relations standpoint unless the D'Backs receive a comparable young star in return. It's difficult to picture Upton terrorizing the D'Backs over the next five years as a member of the Rockies, Dodgers, Padres, or Giants, but any club could afford Upton financially. In the opinion of Rosenthal's colleague Jon Paul Morosi, the Braves would be at the front of the line for Upton and they have the young arms to pull off a deal (Twitter link).

If you review the old minor league scouting reports Yunel and Martin Prado were also both given “utility man upside” grades. If Pastornicky’s bat comes alive then I wouldn’t be shocked to see him as the starting shortstop in 2012. The other shortstop prospects are both very young at least 2 – 3 years away (Matt Lipka and Andrelton Simmons)

Yunel was a lot older and more developed in the minors than Pastornicky. Pastornicky also made a big jump from A to AA last year (as well as changing organizations). I would give him next season in the minors to see how it looks like his bat will play. He may not be the answer but he had a great season in the AFL.

He may not be very high for us, but with guys like Hicks, Escobar, & Diory not fulfilling what we need and Mycal & Lipka being too far off, Pastornicky is our best player at a position we have a big need for.

You’re getting 5 years of Upton, who will be 28 when his contract expires in 2015. Upton’s younger than a lot of prospects, and he’s been in MLB for years. And, the DBacks have no reason to trade him unless they’re getting at least one elite prospect back in return–In other words, Teheran’s probably gone.

Upton’s the kind of player who can singlehandedly give the Diamondbacks a top 5-10 farm system.

If I’m Towers, there is no way I take that deal…and I love the first two guys listed.

I can hardly believe this is a huge discussion. I mean, I know it’s fun to think big for your team’s aspirations, but does anyone REALLY believe that AZ trades J. Upton? If they do, they are the biggest fools this side of…well, fill in your own blank.

Delgado is the only solid piece, but all four are still prospects. I could see some people saying no to this deal, but 2 top 100 prospects, a prospect w/ a great year that dipped into the Majors and proved strong against a top offense and a fast SS/3B prospect… it’s very hard to say no to the deal. Vizcaino’s health should be the only concern.

I beg to differ. The Braves have enough pitching prospects to where we can make a deal for an elite player without including Teheran, who may be the top pitching prospect in baseball. Teheran is as untouchable as a prospect can get, especially with Frank Wren as the GM. If KT asks for Teheran, he won’t get him.

Teheran is Neftali Feliz, but a starter. If we give both up and we won’t see them pitch in an Atlanta uni, that’d be depressing. Strangely, I wonder how seeing Feliz an AS and ROY in the same season affects what future trades ATL makes when dealing prospects. Hopefully they’ll think a lot longer about it…especially when regarding a possible rental. And please note that FLA is looking for a lot less (presumably) for Uggla than ARZ is for Upton…and they’re both paid relatively the same. However, Upton is under team control for the next 4 years…Uggla only for 2011.

You don’t always have to get a team’s TOP prospect. You can still get a top prospect + others. If you want Teheran, the trade would have to end there. If you want Delgado or Vizcaino, you can talk your way into getting a lot of others in return.

Remember this is the same team that traded an affordable Dan Haren for Joe Saunders and a low prospect to LAA. They essentially gave him to LAA. Yes, GMs have changed but they’re somewhat strapped for cash and the new GM would rather could prospects than somewhat pricey players, even if they’re not vets.

lol, is this going to keep you up at night? Like I said earlier, the only reason Pastornicky might be seen as less than touchable (you’ve convinced me away from untouchable) is because he’s the best option for 2012. Hicks took a nose dive when he entered Turner Field, Diory isn’t going to develop and Jones/Lipka are both a little far off.

as commented above, I agree with NYBravosFan10, you convinced me as well. It’s just the need of a 3B & SS really hurts us. If Chipper retired this year we could sign Beltre. If he retires next year, we can get Uggla. Other than that, I can only see getting a guy like Loney or Prado.

Put Minor, Teheran, Kimbrel and Freeman in one pile and say you can add whatever other prospects you want to Jurrjens as the ‘token MLB headliner’. I would imagine they would want more than a few of Vizcaino, Delgado, Beachy, Bethancourt, Perez, Dunn, M.Jones to go along with Jurrjens.

I wouldn’t and Wren has pretty much come out several years in and said he won’t trade his ‘core’ would would include guys like Heyward, Freeman, Teheran, Kimbrel and maybe Minor.

Good point about the Peavy deal. That’s a excellent example of of Wren works. KT keeps asking for Hanson, Wren keeps saying no and no deal goes down. If KT insists on Freeman or Teheran and Wren says no then KT should know Wren isn’t bluffing and will go another direction.

I’d give them Leake, Alonso, Fransisco, and Cozart. If they gave us Drew as well you can add Smith, Frazier, and Valaika. This would give the D-backs a guy to slot into their rotation, a strong young CHEAP bullpen arm, and their infield of the future Alonso, Valaika, Cozart, Frazier. Plus they can try to work Fransisco into an acceptable LF or 3B but he has mammoth power potential.

I was thinking the exact same thing i would slot him in left field because Jay Bruce is pretty damn good in right and has one of the strongest and accurate throwing arms in the outfield. Drew Stubbs is so freakin fast it isnt funny and he covers alot of ground and is very good in center. Justin Upton is really really young and he could be very good well better than what he is in this hitting park.I would give them Yonder Alonso, for there future firstbasemen , Mike Leake even thoug h they would perfer Travis Woods but i would wanna keep him. Juan Fransico so if they trade Mark Reyolds they already have someone to take over and maybe 2 of Zach Cozart,Chris Heisey or Todd Fraizer. Or all of them for Justin Upton And Drew tey might want Janish to take over for Drew.

Screw Uggla Frank, I’m sure this guy could play left field. THIS is the guy that’s worth guys like Brandon Beachy, Arodys Vizcaino or Randall Delgado. Frank, do this and we’ll officially forgive you for bringing in Jesse Chavez.

What Towers is doing is just letting the team know he’s the new boss. Upton signed a big money contract and had a ‘down’ year, he’s just telling Upton not too get complacent. That he mentions Drew is just to let everyone know that no one is expendable and not just picking on Upton. I would be really surprised if these two were actually moved.

I think it’s part that and also the fact that Towers has historically been way more open than other GMs about trade talks and inquiries. I recall the Cubs being pretty annoyed at how much he’d say publicly about the Peavy talks.

Sure that’s great…except that not all prospects pan out, and JUp already has 3 years in the bigs. The Teixiera-to-ATL is the gold standard for ‘trading for prospects’ but not the norm…and even in that case, only 2 of those guys are above replacement level (albeit WELL above).

I’d rather keep the guy I know can get the job done while I have control of him for 5 more years…selling anyone else is fine but Upton should still be untouchable.

Justin Upton is kind of that tweener type of player that can frustrate a team. Maybe too much power to lead off, and maybe not enough power for the middle of the order. Strikeouts are very high, maybe too high for the amount of homeruns that he hits. He does have a lot of upside, but it could be frustrating getting to the point where you are saying “he is a steal at $6 million per year!”. Years 2014 and 2015 could be rough if he hasn’t become what is hoped and you are paying $14 million per each year on him. As a Cub fan I know all about having underperforming players at unmovable salary rates!

He put up a .899 OPS in his age 21 season and was hampered by a shoulder injury this year but still improved his walk rate. There’s close to zero risk in acquiring Upton, other than destroying your farm system.

I like the kid, and do think he has a lot of upside, but if he were to settle in as a .250 hitter with 18 HR / 18 SB and 160k per year, I would have a lot of trouble handing out $14 million to that. There is a risk, and the risk is the unknown… injuries, pitchers figuring him out, off field troubles, etc. That said, I do expect him to become an elite player in the next few years.

Have you seen some of the bombs Upton has hit? He most certainly has the raw power to be a middle of the lineup type. He just has to put his skill set to work and get some more consistency to his game.

Expensive contract, but he would be one hell of a player to get, I’d love to see the Pirates trade for him. I feel like he’d fit on basically any team in the league. Even though he had a down year, it was still pretty damn good and he should improve the next few seasons.

If kevin towers asked for Julio Teheran then Frank Wren would say “Remember when you asked for Tommy Hanson? Yeah, go pound salt {CLICK}” Or in this case “Tell me if I have a stain on the back of my shirt as I’m walking away”.

I hate the pride of GM’s to not make a heavy-sided trade just because you don’t get the top prospect. Braves can give you more than you’ll ever want from their farm and still not give up their top 4 prospects. Towers may be one of those guys who doesn’t care about that. If He asks for Teheran, Wren should ask for Drew & Upton.

I know it’s their job to listen but whenever another GM says “we’re open to listening to offers for anyone, including (star player x)”, they don’t even realize how many stupid trade proposals they are subjecting me to.

I know. I was saying that with the Royals system, their 4-10 guys are all so good that I’d consider it. A package of Lamb/Montgomery, Duffy and Dwyer? YES PLEASE. With other teams that don’t have that massive depth in their top 8, I would demand one of their top 2 guys.

I’m sort of confused as to what you mean here.Anyway, from what I gather, your hypothetical only works if it’s a two team negotiation. With the case of Upton, all 29 teams should have some degree of interest. At least one of them would have to be willing to give up elite prospects.

I’m saying that a good farm’s 3 of 4-10 can be A LOT better than a bad farm’s num1 then few others in the backdrop. Braves have some top prospects and enough that they could make another team’s farm while not giving up their own.

I’m sort of confused as to what you mean here.Anyway, from what I gather, your hypothetical only works if it’s a two team negotiation. With the case of Upton, all 29 teams should have some degree of interest. At least one of them would have to be willing to give up elite prospects.

You don’t trade franchise players to division rivals. You just don’t. It’s just too painful. (ehh, even franchise players traded to the other league and then traded back to division rivals down the road is painful)

I imagine the Braves would have to give up Freddie Freeman and one of their pitching prospects but I don’t see a trade happening. It’s just like how the Cardinals are listening on Rasmus. Both players will still be with their teams on opening day.

It depends whether Arizona wants to win now or later. If they want to win now, I could see them asking for Freeman, but if they can wait The Brave could offer Bethancourt, Vizcaino, Perez, and the tons of pitching in the lower minors to start.

The Cardinals need to make this happen. Rasmus, Holliday and Upton is the sickest outfield in baseball. I would even consider trading Rasmus straight up for Upton as the power potential is probably greater in Upton.

I really like the idea of adding Upton(like about anyone else)but not at the expense of Rasmus. Rasmus is getting better each year, is cheaper, and is our only decent left handed bat. I don’t know what it would cost though. Maybe Shelby Miller, Lance Lynn, Jason Motte, and Daryl Jones?

Could the Cardinals get in on this? Shelby Miller, Jason Motte, and Allen Craig/Jon Jay? I could live with Schumaker/Ryan at MI if we have an outfield of Holliday/Rasmus/Upton, oh and some guy named Pujols at first.

Never said we were. In fact, that is largely why I think its extremely unlikely we get either player. 😛 Buchholz has simply moved past the prospect status, which means Epstein isn’t letting anyone get their hands on him. Plus, considering he has plenty of room for improvement with his young age, an improvement on his 2010 season could mean a legitimate ace has just appeared. He was easily our number 2, and not just because of the struggles of the other starters. He would have at least been in strong competition to be the second best starter on nearly every team, the ace on many.

What about a 3-way deal? Royals get the (young) right handed power bat, another team gets Greinke and the D-Backs get 3 upper prospects and the Royals get 1 additional upper to mid-level prospect from the team acquiring Greinke?

I know it’s complicated, but wouldn’t the D-Backs have to consider something of that nature? Like, say, a team like Cincinatti getting involved?

What a gross over payment.. Snider is pretty much unmovable, in fact I’ll be bold and say Snider is probably worth more then Upton (to the jays) single handedly because he is getting paid peanuts and still under control for 4 (or 5) more cheap years. To get Snider out of Toronto would take a similar haul to what it would take to get Upton out of Arizona, then you add in Marcum no no no noJays: Justin UptonDiamondBacks- Brett Cecil, Zack Stewart, and Eric Thames. which realistically is still underpayment to the dbacks

Edit: I dont think that Snider is better then Upton, I think Upton is a far superior player, but I just don’t think that trading a controllable future all start in Snider makes it worth it, for either team.. Pretty much Upton shouldn’t be traded.

Hypothetically no… and I’ll justify it.. firstly I know that Rasmus and Upton are superior players who play premium positions. If it was a draft I would take Upton first, Rasmus second and Snider third.

Trading Snider just creates another hole. Jays have very little position player depth. Moving a young and budding piece for a better young and budding piece really doesn’t make the team that much better.

To me I think the way you build a team is to identify the pieces you are going to build around and leave them be. To me Snider is one of those players that the Jays need to build around, they need to ADD impact players to the lineup, like Upton, like Rasmus, hopefully one day like Gose to strengthen the lineup, not subtract a good thing to add a good thing back. The only way the Jays are going to be a serious contender is if they have several impact players in the lineup, otherwise you are just marginally improving and chances are that won’t get you past the yankees or sox.

Trading Snider just creates another hole. Jays have very little position player depth. Moving a young and budding piece for a better young and budding piece really doesn’t make the team that much better.

Upton has a higher ceiling, and plays better defense accordnig to UZR in the same position as Snider, so no hole is created. While Snider may reach his potential to hit 40 bombs a year, we haven’t really seen any flashes of that yet [CITO!!!!]. We’ve already seen what Upton is capable of, and he’s still only 23.

Upton also fits AA’s philosophy for having athletic players. Snider is more of a tank than athletic.

Everything you said is right.. but what I’m saying is, that you don’t get better by marginally upgrading. Is Upton better then Snider, yes, yes and yesbut the goal would be to have BOTH snider and upton in the lineup.. I believe Snider will be an impact player, Upton has already established himself as one. The Jays should be collecting impact players to make a push, not trading one (plus more ) for one. Its like trading ricky romero for jon lester.. is jon lester better? yes.. Does the upgrade from romero to lester make the jays a playoff team?? Most likely no.I feel the same way about this trade, while we would be getter the better player in the deal, we would just be losing another piece. Jays have no depth, if Wells gets hurt, if jbau leaves if you have no one ready to fill it. Which means you end up just being an average team with a really good player for years to come. We already did that with Delgado, then with Doc, no need to repeat it again. A deal with Snider going the other way doesnt make the Jays a playoff team.. but an outfielder of Upton, Wells and Snider just might.

Well if you wanna have both in the OF, which is plausable, the next prospect the Jays would absolutely have to give up is Drabek. Not sure if I’d give him up yet, but Uggla coming off the market makes it a little easier I guess.

As much as I dont want to give up Drabek, mostly for sentimental reasons.. I would do that deal.. between all of the arms in our system, Drabek is more replaceable then Snider… or perhaps a deal with Cecil. who knows, but essentially right now the only arm I wouldnt trade is Morrow. Having an outfield of Wells-Snider and upton would definitely offset the the drop off we’ll have between who ever takes the 5th start position.

The “haul” for Upton may be similar to the Haren deal. A big consideration in both cases is the contract dollars in the future. Uptons contract is a huge commitment, especially the $38M+ due in 2013-2015. His future pay is for a superstar elite player and he has only hinted at that production so far.

I think a good (and relatively inexpensive) MLB player and two second tier prospects will be all the return the Diamondbacks could reasonably hope to get.

Their 5-12 top prospects are other team’s top 3. No joke, Vizcaino was the Yankee’s top 3, behind Montero. Braves have a stacked farm. If D-Backs want to do an even swap, Upton for Teheran… we still wouldn’t do it, even if Teheran is a prospect.

Towers has stated from the beginning that he plans on being competitive THIS year (I’m not saying its realistic). With that in mind, it wouldn’t shock me to see Upton traded for young controlled pitching with the intent to use the leftover money to sign more Vets (i.e. Konerko). Not saying I like it but this seems like what he’s thinking.

Are you telling me a package of JJ, Delgado, Beachy, Bethancourt, and Pastornicky wouldnt be enough to get Upton? Im not saying that Upton would ever actually be traded, but I dont see any other team offering as good of a haul as that. And the Braves would not have to give Freeman, Teheran, Minor, Kimbrel, or Vizcaino. We would still have one of the best farm systems in the game even after that trade.

Upton would fill a major Reds need, a RH LF that can hit cleanup, and give the Reds three excellent defensive OFs.

They have the talent to get Upton without emptying the minors.

The Diamondbacks are likely looking for best available talent, but have been mentioned to want relief help as well.

So this is what I’d be willing to package.

1. Yonder Alonso–The Diamondbacks don’t have a 1B and I don’t recall them having a impact bat in the system close to ready.

2. Edison Volquez or Cueto–I think Volquez could get back to what he was prior to the 08 All-Star break and he could have the best pure stuff on the staff, but if the injury hurts his already shaky control its best to move him now. If Arizona thinks the same then I’d move Cueto, I feel he’s never going to be more then a six inning pitcher which will prevent him from becoming more then a middle of the rotation arm.

3. Donnie Joseph–This one would hurt a little since he could be a closer as early as next year, but you have to give up something to get something

4. Dave Sapplett–With Stubbs/Bruce/Upton in place for the next four or five years I don’t think he has a place with the team.

5. Johnny Gomes–More as a throw in then anything just to give Gomes some playing time since he’d be at best a once a week starter with that OF. Heisey has more value because he can play all three OF slots and someone like Frazier could be the 5th OF.

So I would have the Reds giving up two top five prospects, a front end pitcher, a B level prospect, and journeyman OF

Still I don’t think it would be enough to get Towers to pull the trigger, I consider Upton to be one of the top 5 players in the game going forward. By that I mean if you had to start up a team today and could pick any offensive player Upton would be one of the first 5 taken.

Worthwhile is what the man said he is willing to give up. All young extremely talented and cheap. Plus chapman’s bonuses and stuff are kind of expensive so Arizona may not want to take on the risk that he will not be able to start. Volquez and Cueto both have proven they are starters, they are both talented, and both cheap.

why is that funny. it gives the bdacks an front line starter(either danks or floyd can fit that bill) a legit power threat at 1st who is still only like 22…a stop gap in the outfield, and top out field prospect…

Front line starter? How many HR would Floyd give up in ARI? Okay people listen.. Upton will require something along the lines of impossible package. Hes younger than most college seniors and his contract is one of the best in baseball.

Probably not many considering he has shown how good he is in the AL and considering the “NL is the easer league” he would be very very good, and also considering that the division AZ is in is full of pitchers parks he would be amazing, its not like Danks gave up a lot of homeruns this season. And how is his contract one of the best in baseball? He should still be under team controll with this season being his first ARB year if that so i would say its really not..and like everone has said he had a monster year and got locked up by a GM who didnt want to wait. He very well could settle into a league average player and then his contract is bad…he could also at the same time turn into the nest great right fielder and his contract is a bargin its too early to tell if its one of the best in baseball…

UPTON STRAIGHT UP FOR GRIENKE. AZ is low pressure for Greinke…he gets to hit in the NL, he loves batting. AZ could lock him up for more years and is a great trade for both teams. I would want AZ to get a guy like Quentin back in AZ to make up for the bat though.

but why would the Diamondbacks acquire an ace if they just traded their best player. its counter productive.The only way you trade upton is for a package of budding prospects, one of which has to be as close to a for sure thing as possible. A deal to LAA centered around Trout and an arm is where I would begin.

I hinted at this deal in an earlier post. Someone was saying it would be counter productive, but I don’t necessarily see it that way. The D-Backs would be getting one of the top pitchers in the game, the Royals would be getting younger and would acquire the righthanded power bat they desire in the OF.

I mean, there could be some prospects or money shifting hands too, if they want to get creative. Or they could simply get a 3-way deal worked out to get prospects from another team.

Then again, D-Backs could also flip Greinke if they take him. Either way, I could see something working out. You’re talking about two top-tier players that can always fetch prospects when you need em.

Okay, so. Justin Upton in Boston? I like the sound of that. A lot. Would be much more affordable of an option than either of the FA’s out there, which would help Boston at least retain one of their own two big FAs, as well as upgrade other areas such as the bullpen.

However, I would be SHOCKED to see that deal actually happen. Red Sox have quantity over quality in their farm system, and I highly doubt we’ll see Epstein move Ellsbury or Buchholz this year, the two young starters everyone wants. I just think Boston can’t make a reasonable offer for him at all.

Oh, agreed. I just put him in there because he’s also being mentioned in trade possibilities, and I think Epstein is very reluctant to let him go as well, knowing about his low trade value and high potential. Out of the two, if either got traded, it would be Ellsbury hands down. But I just think that neither of them are traded. That probably means the Red Sox just don’t make any big trades this year, but I didn’t really expect them to, to be honest.

Yup. Buchholz is as untouchable right now as Lester, Pedroia, and Youk. Ellsbury is right up there too, not because of his talent, but because Theo values him about 10x higher than any other GM other than maybe Jed Hoyer right now, thanks to his broken ribs and a drama-hungry media. Initially I thought this was a brilliant opportunity for the Sox, but the more I think about it, if we’re going to dish the farm, we’ll dish it for Adrian Gonzalez, not Justin Upton. There are two stud OF’s in free agency right now, no first baseman.

Yup. Buchholz is as untouchable right now as Lester, Pedroia, and Youk. Ellsbury is right up there too, not because of his talent, but because Theo values him about 10x higher than any other GM other than maybe Jed Hoyer right now, thanks to his broken ribs and a drama-hungry media. Initially I thought this was a brilliant opportunity for the Sox, but the more I think about it, if we’re going to dish the farm, we’ll dish it for Adrian Gonzalez, not Justin Upton. There are two stud OF’s in free agency right now, no first baseman.

Cameron is breaking down; little interest there for Arizona. And while Kelly and Pap are intriguing, Kelly didn’t exactly impress in Double-A, and Anderson is barely a throw-in. Forget his ranking, he has not met his potential at all yet; I think his value is very low right now.

According to the guy who thinks Snider is more valuable than Justin Upton..Anderson is a huge unknown, but Kelly is definitely a top 5 in almost every system according to pretty much every knowledgeable prospect source. I think that deal is laughable but relax.

read my post, I said that Snider is more valuable to the Jays, I clearly noted that Upton is a far superior player so dont try to belittle my knowledge. Snider has 40 HR potential and is 22 years old, you don’t trade a guy like that, just like you don’t trade a player like Justin Upton. Jays don’t have any depth in position players so trading one for one just creates another hole and doesn’t make any sense. and as for your kelly a top 5 in almost every system? I strongly disagree, ever since he’s been drafted his value has slowly gone lower and lower and lowerI mean are you honestly telling me a pitcher who had an era of 5.31, hr/9 of 1 bb/9 of 3.3 and a so/9 of 7.7 with a whip of 1.6 in AA is going to be top 5 in any decent farm system? no chancenow granted he is only 20 years old in AA, but he’s not the future Ace or “sure thing” that many fans have labelled him to be, his ceiling is as much of an unknown as Anderson’s

read my post, I said that Snider is more valuable to the Jays, I clearly noted that Upton is a far superior player so dont try to belittle my knowledge. Snider has 40 HR potential and is 22 years old, you don’t trade a guy like that, just like you don’t trade a player like Justin Upton. Jays don’t have any depth in position players so trading one for one just creates another hole and doesn’t make any sense. and as for your kelly a top 5 in almost every system? I strongly disagree, ever since he’s been drafted his value has slowly gone lower and lower and lowerI mean are you honestly telling me a pitcher who had an era of 5.31, hr/9 of 1 bb/9 of 3.3 and a so/9 of 7.7 with a whip of 1.6 in AA is going to be top 5 in any decent farm system? no chancenow granted he is only 20 years old in AA, but he’s not the future Ace or “sure thing” that many fans have labelled him to be, his ceiling is as much of an unknown as Anderson’s

Oh definitely. Would decimate Bostons farm system, which is why I almost hope a deal -doesn’t- get done. Boston just doesn’t have the kind of prospect depth needed to pull off a deal like this, not at all.

According to Rob Bradford – they’re looking for a stick, a starter, and a back end reliever. That spells Bard + Kalish/Ellsbury + Doubront. Not worth it. Apparently Theo agrees, Bradford and Abraham both say the trade discussion has stopped before it got started.

Two points. 1- The Upton trade will be huge. Somewhere along the caliber of the Bedard trade, the trade that sent Haren to AZ, or the trade that sent Teixeira to Atlanta, but probably bigger than all those trades. Much bigger than those trades. 2- The only prospects who would be on an “untouchable” level for Upton would be the uber-elite prospects that come around once every few years. Like Heyward and Strasburg before the 2010 season. No, Julio Teheran doesn’t fit in that category. There isn’t a prospect like that in the current prospect crop— with the exception of Bryce Harper.

Doubront + Ellsbury. Doubront + Rizzo + Kalish. Something along those lines. I’d love to see Kalish take over for Drew out in RF after next year though. If we picked up Upton, we would almost have to go out and still sign a big name FA outfielder, because we’d be losing Ellsbury or Kalish in a deal no matter what, unless he deals Casey Kelly, but Theo is already shopping for his Valentines day present.

I don’t think Theo would dish Ells and Kalish in a deal. Look at all the cheap, solid OF you’re getting, then you go pick up 5 years/50mm on Upton, plus 5 years/90mm on Werth. Seems pretty expensive if you ask me. Also – Pap wouldn’t be included, D-Backs are looking to add young, inexpensive talent, not someone who is going to cost $10+mil a year. If the Sox were going to unload that amount of talent, it would be for Adrian Gonzalez, they’d trade one of Kalish/Ellsbury but not both, and sign Crawford/Werth.

hahahaha the only way that happens is if you throw a ton of cash in and clay into the mix as well..you talking about the top 3 players on thedback for a bunch of prospects…and besides that deal would hurt the bosox more than help it…take out that many top prospects from a team cripples the farm system and a team with a weak farm system usually does bad…a bosox team after that trade is 2 injuries away from finishing last

even without marcum the Blue Jays have like 7 starters…Marcum+JPA+2 top prospects…not including snider(if possible) keep snider in left, upton in center(hopefully he can play well there) more wells to right and jose bats to 3rd, that DH out fieder(cant think of his name) move him to 1st sign manny

Man oh man, I sure wish the Cubs could get in on this. Assuming Castro wouldn’t go to the D’backs with Drew there I think you have to assume the trade would start with B. Jackson and include some others like Archer, Carpenter, Cashner, Lee, J. Jackson, Vitters, Colvin etc… Not all of course but quite a handful. The Cubs have plenty of young bullpen arms not up to caliber but who could be thrown in to help AZ fill out their horrible pen, guys like Berg, Carridad, Stevens. Let’s say B. Jackson, two from the big list and a bp arm. B. Jackson, J. Jackson, Carpenter and Berg. Might be more appealing to AZ to swap J. Jackson for Archer/Carpenter. Or maybe B. Jackson, Cashner and J. Jackson.

From the Cubs perspective that’s a lot to give up but Upton is one of the guys you do it for. AZ probably doesn’t make that trade but they’d have to think it over.

no place for him to play for the cubs…cant move soriano due to his contract and same with fukudome…marlon byrd isnt getting moved after last season and colvin is a lock as a starter after last season so dream on there cubs fan plus colvin seems to have more power and left handed (huge need for the cubs) and he is cheaper then upton

If the choice is between Colvin and Upton you go with Upton, no matter what side he bats from. The Cubs are paying Sori, Byrd and Fuku whether they like it or not, bringing in someone like Upton wouldn’t change that and shouldn’t be passed up, especially since Fuku has one year left. Why would you pass on Upton because Fuku was on the roster, especially if you’re moving Colvin in the deal? Fuku can back up, get traded himself or come off the bench as a pretty good 4th.

ie. Fukudome and Soriano are sunk costs. You can’t let your organization stagnate because of them. Recognize them and move on. Soriano is still mildly productive, his salary is his biggest “problem”. Fukudome never panned out but he’s still productive when used right. If there’s a way to take a negative and turn it around you do it, you don’t sit back and cry about it.

no place for him to play for the cubs…cant move soriano due to his contract and same with fukudome…marlon byrd isnt getting moved after last season and colvin is a lock as a starter after last season so dream on there cubs fan plus colvin seems to have more power and left handed (huge need for the cubs) and he is cheaper then upton

How are you calling my trade a joke my prospects match yours and david murphy while serviceable is not good. Romo is better then him the Dbacks want to rebuild their bullpen and romo contributes immediately

Upton to the giants for Thomas Neal, Zach wheeler, Ehire Adrianza another and Sergio Romo and another B-level prospect.Dbacks get a front line start in two years powerful outfielder, good ss prospect and a above average quality arm to put in the bullpen

the biggest thin working against upton is his contract he should still be under team control but because the old gm had to do it for some reason he locked him up to a contract that its still too early to tell if its team friendly or not…if upton goes back to last years form consistently then yes super team friendly but if he does what he did this past season then not so much…why give up top prospects who might provide the same power for a ton cheaper…yes i know its justin upton but still

the biggest thin working against upton is his contract he should still be under team control but because the old gm had to do it for some reason he locked him up to a contract that its still too early to tell if its team friendly or not…if upton goes back to last years form consistently then yes super team friendly but if he does what he did this past season then not so much…why give up top prospects who might provide the same power for a ton cheaper…yes i know its justin upton but still

we’d have to include 1 or 2 of cosart, may, singleton, or colvin along with Dom. I am intrigued by the possibility of amaro flying under the radar to grab a RH 5 tool OF who is under control for 5 years, and for prospects no less. But I haven’t seen any realistic rumored deals yet to know what the asking price truly is. If they are looking for advanced prospects, the phillies can’t make it happen. All the studs will be in hi A or AA for the first time next season….

I think you see the phillies name emerge over the next day for sure. Especially if Atlanta is really in the mix.

They would not include Brown in a deal though, cause he’s got three to four years at huge cost savings, and he’s gonna be a stud. However, I could see a package with Rizzotti, DeFrasus, Mathieson, Worley, kendrick, et al, and maybe even a guy like Blanton if they ate some of his salary.

Reuben Amaro would trade anyone not named Domonic Brown in the organization though, IMO for five years of cost control with Upton.

“Here’s the complete list of all the players in the past 50 years to get at least 1,500 appearances through age 22 and post a higher OPS than Upton: Alex Rodriguez, Miguel Cabrera, Ken Griffey Jr., Tony Conigliaro, Boog Powell, Cesar Cedeno. That’s it. That’s the whole list. And filling out the rest of the top 10, directly behind Upton on the list, are Johnny Bench, Andruw Jones, and Rickey Henderson. Given his age, tools, production, and contract Upton is likely one of the dozen or so most valuable commodities in baseball right now.”

Upton, Stubbs, And Bruce in the outfield for the next 5 years would be dominating. They lack in LF right now with Gomes and a few other possible options. I’m just thinking I’d rather have 5 years of Upton rather than 2 years of Greinke because you know the Reds will not be able to afford Greinke after his contract is up.

Reds do need an ace though. I’m hoping that comes from within the system whether it’s Volquez getting back to form or Chapman continuing to work on his location with his secondary pitches. I also see Wood taking a huge step up in 2011 as far as performance goes. The guy trains with Cliff Lee and is a lot like him in the way he pitches.

watch all of this is the GM just doig his job.He probably just said to some one”yeah sure I will listen to offers for him, I doubt anyone has anything that would actually make me think of getting rid of him but Its my job to listen to offers and thats what I will do” and some write is inferring that as Upton is on the market… Its the exact same thing as Kenny williams listening to offers for gordon even though it was rival GM’s saying they think kenny will listen to offers for him

IF the Yankees sign him, Swisher’s days are numbered in RF. It makes sense because he would be under team control till 2015 and is affordable (like it matters to the Yankees). I don’t want Yankees giving away any top prospects for him and I don’t think that this trade is possible without that. One scenario can be Joba plus some B level prospects to Arizona for Upton. Arizona needs bullpen help and Joba can provide that.

The current Arizona rotation is set from 1-4 comprising of Kennedy,Saunders,Hudson and Lopez. They can have Enright as their 5th starter. Arizona had the worst bullpen ERA in the league last year. They need bullpen arms and Joba plus few fireball throwing prospects or Aceves,Joba and a low level starter would do.

Actually 1-4 is Hudson, Kennedy, Saunders, and ENRIGHT, not lopez. :/
It’s funny how ppl think they’ll get Upton with “Joba and some prospects”. KT is gonna have to be blown out of the water, Upton isn’t going to be cheap

True. But, if the Yankees assume most of his salary then its a different ballgame. I can see the Yankees take his entire salary and then offer Joba plus prospects to the Diamondbacks. Not a bad deal for the snakes as they clear 50+M in payroll and have cost controlled players.

Agreed, I’d go with JPA, Marcum and Zach Stewart. Personally I feel JPA’s value is ridiculously high he’s a one of a kind offensive catcher. Plus with Adam LaRoche gone 1st base is open, and Montero has played first in the past as has JPA. With Stewart and Marcum they obviously get much needed, young, pitching help. Marcum is a proven number 1 starter, and Stewart is a number 2 or 3 starter, and has even been said to have the stuff to be a closer. I’d say thats fair.

If I am Towers – i am asking for 4 young prospects – and they are all going to be in the top 10-15 that teams prospect list (or pre-arb major leaguers). Anything less than that would mean that its not the right thing to do – and we should be fine keeping him.

If I am the GM – i need Montero and three of the highest level pitching prospects… Maybe Montero, Hughes and two lesser pitching prospects… Of course – im not the GM – Towers probably knows the Novas/Betances of the yankees system better than you and i.

If I am the GM – i need Montero and three of the highest level pitching prospects… Maybe Montero, Hughes and two lesser pitching prospects… Of course – im not the GM – Towers probably knows the Novas/Betances of the yankees system better than you and i.

I think i would want Teheran, Freeman, Venters, and Viscaino for Upton. ATL has to give up SOMETHING of major league quality for a potential star like upton. These trade ideas where ATL gives up basically nothing for upton are just not going to make Towers want to make a trade.

Castro and Tate are probably 1-2 on the Padres prospects list. Castro looks like a # 2 starter and Tate has the same upside as Upton. I would be willing to throw in some bullpen help.

Upton won’t get traded precisley because a team would have to grossly overpay to get him. The offer I made is a prudent offer, even though I wouldn’t really expect the Dbacks to accept it.

If the Padres offerd: Latos, Luebke, Castro, and Tate they would be morons. But according to most of the posts on this thread, this seems to be the type of talent that people think AZ should get in return.

Castro and Tate are probably 1-2 on the Padres prospects list. Castro looks like a # 2 starter and Tate has the same upside as Upton. I would be willing to throw in some bullpen help.

Upton won’t get traded precisley because a team would have to grossly overpay to get him. The offer I made is a prudent offer, even though I wouldn’t really expect the Dbacks to accept it.

If the Padres offerd: Latos, Luebke, Castro, and Tate they would be morons. But according to most of the posts on this thread, this seems to be the type of talent that people think AZ should get in return.

I honestly don’t think the Brave’s will get Upton. They could if they really wanted to with all of the pitching in their farm, but D’Backs would want prospects like Teheran. Braves will not give up Teheran for Upton. The thing I am wondering is if the Braves will pursue Matt Kemp? I hope the Braves can get him.

The best team to pull this off would be the Tigers. They have plenty of starting pitching prospects to dangle in Jacob Turner, Casey Crosby, Andrew Oliver, Daniel Schelereth, Phil Coke and Charlie Furbush. In Detroit’s case, it’s worth offering all four. They have trouble getting players to sign in Detroit, and with this guy, he’s guaranteed 5 years there. Their offense cannot afford to miss out on V-Mart now that John Buck has signed elsewhere, and nobody believes they can land Crawford, Werth, or Dunn. Well worth the risk of trading the top pitching prospects considering they already have Verlander-Scherzer-Porcello at the top 3. Dombrowski has done this before, traded can’t miss prospects (Maybin and Miller, WOOPS) for a top young hitter (Cabrera) and pitcher (Willis) because he knew he would have them long-term. Turner has got to be a top coveted player for Arizona, and throw in 2-3 more of those prospects and/or maybe an OF like Casper Wells and they have a pretty decent trade. Besides, Turner is a Boras client, and the last thing DD wants is another one of those.

I honestly don’t think the Brave’s will get Upton. They could if they really wanted to with all of the pitching in their farm, but D’Backs would want prospects like Teheran. Braves will not give up Teheran for Upton. The thing I am wondering is if the Braves will pursue Matt Kemp? I hope the Braves can get him.

Braves fans stop it… Upton isnt going anywhere. Towers just showing he will be aggresive and that no one is “locked in” he wont trade upton or drew probably not even johnson (unless he really wants Konerko) the only one they are definitly going to trade is Reynolds. UPTOWN isnt going anywhere. Period.